by SlyOkami
(“Back then I was…”) Erik continued to reminisce, taking his mind off the current problems, as he walked. (“At the top, and alone. Striving…struggling for an empty goal…But no more.”) Resolve filling him, as he reminded himself of his new goal.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvr08sCPOc
Just sounded right xP
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As he reached his armoury, the massive metal door closing behind him as he entered, dozens of locks clicking and runic symbols lightning up once it did.
Erik glanced back at the door, and then down the long corridor. “I’m done…holding back.” He said, as his white staff materialized into his outstretched hand. Nodding to himself, as he made a decision.
“No more…” He mused out loud, as he slammed his staff down upon the paved ground. “Open.” He spoke in a commanding tone, and the ground beneath him shuddered, then moved.
The pavement opened up and lowered. Revealing a dimly lit staircase beneath.
Erik took off his tattered cloak and robe, standing with a bare chest and arms while holding his arms out to either side of him. “Come, your owner calls you. Come, to your master.” Erik chanted, and the entire room rumbled now.
As equipment flew out from each of the large doorways.
At first, it was just armour, as a chest-plate of gleaming silver flew out of the dwarven hall and equipped itself over him. Then a pair of pure white plate-legs, gauntlets and bracers out of the elven hall. A pair of silver leather boots with crimson feathers, out of the Goblin hall.
And white helmet adorned with gleaming clear jewels, out of the Fae hall.
Each flying over to be worn by him as he rose to hover in mid-air for them to do so.
Then a crimson necklace with a spiralling black talisman at its centre, from the Orc hall.
Six rings. Two red, and a blue from the Mer hall. One green from the Giant’s hall. Another red and a bejewelled clear white from the Dark Ages hall.
And finally, a cloak of golden fur out of the Angelic hall. Flying over to adorn his back, after which he paused.
Erik lowered his arms, and he descended back to the ground. Fully equipped with different pieces of armour that seemed slightly off alongside one another, but as his cloak attached itself, they suddenly shifted form and colour to match.
He took a step down the staircase, but stopped. Pondering something briefly as he glanced at his staff, then at his empty hand.
Raising said empty hand forth, a sudden blast of transparent energy burst out of his palm and travelled down the corridor, making a sudden turn for the Human hall. Out of it, flew an object covered in black cloth and crimson chains. Each of which was torn off as it flew at him, revealing a scabbard of scaly white which unsheathed itself and strapped onto his belt. The weapon though hovered before him.
It had a handle of the same white reptilian leather, a handguard of blue-grey metal, and the blackest of blades.
It was the Underblade, the weapon also known as Hell’s Devourer.
Erik, grabbed hold of its grip, and recoiled as the dark green guises engulfed him like a flame.
(“You who wield us, what is your desire?”) The voices asked, as he struggled to retain consciousness, as he descended the stairs.
(“We are power, we are strength. Do you wish for us? Do you want power? Is it…strength…which you seek, Dragon? We are it.”) The voices offered, and Erik had reached the stair’s bottom.
Finding himself in a circular room much like the main hall, yet this one was divided into three sections.
One was alit with green torches, as vines, sand and stone made up the floor, wall and ceiling. A continuous melding of the three, ever moving, ever-changing.
Out of that section, Dejal formed out of the ground, and kneeled.
The other two sections though, making up two-thirds of the room, were lightless and dark. As if the green torch’s light refused to shine upon them.
(“Do you accept…Us?…We can make you strong.”) The voices offered once again, but Erik ignored them.
Instead he chanted, “Wielder of the everflame, life which gives fire and fire through which gained life. Fierve, I your master, summon you. Awaken.”
Another one-third of the room lit up, crimson blazes bursting alit as the ground, walls and ceiling suddenly melted into magma. And among those flames, burning earth and smouldering heat, a figure formed.
Canine in form, but winged and entirely made of an ember flame. Fierve had coal-black eyes and fangs, three tails each ending in a set of claws, and a single straight horn with a spiralling pattern but made entirely of glowing volcanic rock. It kneeled respectfully before Erik. “At your command, my lord.” The elemental’s booming voice said.
“Caster of living light, born of storm and sibling to thunder. Voltru, I summon you as well. Awaken!” Erik chanted once more, and the last section of the room lit up.
Lightning surged through the wall as dark grey clouds formed out of the floor and ceiling, both striking surges of electricity into one another in an unending storm. Until several strikes collided in mid-air, shining brightly for several moments before slowly fading out, revealing a third elemental.
Like Fierve, Voltru was far from humanoid, and instead took the likings of a serpent. Its body was made of pitch black clouds through which pure white lightning surged, its four eyes glowing a bright white on either of its body’s end, as the creature had two heads and no tail.
Voltru couldn’t kneel, so instead it made an effort to bow both of its heads down before Erik. “At-t-t your ssservice, massst-t-ter.” The being stuttered and hissed.
(“You dare…face my test again…Dragon?”) The sword’s voices suddenly merged, as the being within emerged, annoyed at being ignored.
Erik though, continued to ignore it further.
(“You dar-”) It tried to say once more…
“Silence.” Erik hissed, and the Lair around him shuddered.
The being within the sword, obeyed.
“To hell with your test, to hell with you, keeper. Your power is mine, and you shall do as I say or be dismantled, for I will have no use for you if you do not compromise.” Erik growled in warning, “Has this…Dragon…Made itself clear?”
(“Y-Yes…”) The voice timidly responded.
“Good choice…” Erik hissed, taking a deep breath before raising his newly tamed blade towards his guardians. “I say no more. Hell, has perverted this realm for long enough. Its minions…followers and people…Its very presence, I swear to wipe off the face of Faetera. For everything…its done to me…for everything it has done, final. No more, I will lose…nothing more. I will not lose…Anybody else.” his fury flowing out with his now enhanced voice.
As he opened his wings wide, lightning surging wildly through them. Every word he spoke, rushing through the walls and pavement. His voice reaching the highest heights and deepest depths of his Lair.
As the ground beneath him melted away, quickly disappearing before reappearing above him. Until, he fell into another room entirely.
Erik fell out of the ceiling of one of his training caverns, the one where the rebel camp was situated.
Shining brightly like a sun and gaining the attention of all, as each of his Lair guardians appeared beside him.
“I am Erikathyr, Guardian of Nature’s Spirit, Destroyer of the weak and foolish…Slayer of Azruxan the Brute, Slayer of Delirio the traitor!” Erik roared out.
“Slaves, Pirates, Thieves and Bandits. I welcome you all, to the birth of a new empire…”
“For be it Xilfir, be it Human or Bestia. Be it even Dwarves or Mer. All are welcome.”
“And be it hell, or even heaven…nothing will stand in our way!”
“Nothing…will stand in this Dragon Empire’s way.”
Ch 50 / Part 1- Bonds We’ve Made
Makaela groaned as she stretched out her arms, having to endure the recoil of strain that came from overuse of her enhancement magic. As
she did, she stared off at the approaching formation of large rocks amidst the desert. Her group of dune-riders, small boat-like transports that rode the wave-like sands, where only one-fifth of the assault force used to attack the convoy that they had long left behind hours ago.
The rebels had divided into five groups, dispersing their numbers to decrease the chance of being tracked by survivors while they made their escape with the hostages and resources pillaged.
Makaela stood at the very front of one dune-rider, wearing a single-lens set of goggles to block out the sand from entering her eyes as did most of the rest. As she stood alone staring off into the distance, all she could do was ponder on what had happened.
(“He’s awakened…”) she thought, at least knowing that Erik had woken up, as did every other Xilfir.
The unmistakable roar that had preceded the pillar of darkness, told her as much. But she still couldn’t help but worry, (“What was that…dark energy?”) thinking of the quaking earth and air, remembering the sight of the pillar of demonic power that rose into the sky.
She had never seen anything like it, but had heard of something similar from stories older than her. Stories that told of Azruxan’s arrival on Faetera, of a rift opening at the heart of Druvia, out of which came the energies of Hell itself. A darkness that had enveloped the surrounding towns and cities into disaster.
Yet…the stories did not speak of the very ground they stood on…the air they breathed…shuddering as if in fear. A cold fear that filled her own heart with dread when it occurred, her heart, which she thought had reached the point of numbness.
But she knew better now, that numbness could only block out so much. Makaela still felt fear, she still felt worry and dread…alongside another feeling she couldn’t control. A fluttering of the heart, whenever she heard a certain someone’s voice.
And as the dune-riders entered the Lair. Driving straight into one of the largest rock formations, and disappearing into its side, as if having disintegrated into the stone.
The first thing she saw, was a bright sun shining down upon the cavern, as wailing green phantasms flew about it.
As a serpent of storm, a hound of flames and a moving puppet of earth, formed on either side of it.
The light dimmed, revealing the draconic humanoid within. “I am Erikathyr, Guardian of Nature’s Spirit, Destroyer of the weak and foolish…Slayer of Azruxan the Brute, Slayer of Delirio the traitor!” He bellowed, his voice demanding their attention and obedience.
“Slaves, Pirates, Thieves and Bandits. I welcome you all, to the birth of a new empire…” He stated with flair, pausing for effect and for his words to sink in.
“For be it Xilfir be it Human or Bestia…Be it even Dwarves or Mer. All are welcome.” Erik said with arms wide open, as he slowly hovered down to be more visible than the speck of light he was at the cavern’s highest.
“And be it hell, or even heaven…” He continued, as the camp gathered beneath him, workers and soldiers in training dropping everything they had been doing to watch and listen. Even Makaela’s squad, and the just now arriving Pyra’s, listened attentively as they raised their sails and dropped the ramps.
“Nothing will stand in our way!” Erik bellowed, a resounding cheer from beneath following his words.
“Nothing…” Speaking again, his voice like a serpent’s hiss, travelling further than it should have and silencing the crowd’s cheer, “will stand in this Dragon Empire’s way.”
His draconic voice overtaking all sound, and all thought.
After which, silence followed, as if the entirety of the cavern held its breath. As if, everyone waited for more.
And slowly, as realisation came that he was finished and that they wouldn’t be disrespectfully speaking over him…Not that they could anyway…The cheers returned to fill the silence.
Louder than ever before, and more akin to the cry before a battle. The sound of their joined voices, was now only matched by the sound of Erik’s wing beat.
It was a cry of hope, filling them all with resolve as the dreadblades scattered the crowd to continue work. Each man and woman, each child, moving about with new found strength.
Makaela grinned as she watched him, (“Risen anew…like a phoenix.”) she mused, (“Shining just as bright as ever, above everyone and everything else…Like a god amongst men, just how grandfather’s stories…depicted him.”) she thought. Continuing to gaze at him, as he approached her.
But Makaela knew, (“Yet…He’s no god, and the depictions are just as inaccurate as the sight before me.”) She knew now, of how Erik really was. (“Filtered by his own light…”) Of the individual, he was behind his draconic brightness.
“You returned, seems like you have done well while I was out of sorts.” Erik mused as he landed before her, wrapping in his large wings between his back and cape, but doing nothing to hide their size.
(“You act, as if the entire world rests on your shoulders…”) Makaela though was deep in thought, continuing to gaze and ponder even as he spoke to her.
“Makaela?” Erik called out her name, raising a brow as she woke from her daze.
“A-Ah, yes?” She asked, blinking her eyes trice.
“We need to…talk,” Erik said, his gaze faltering as he glanced away. “Preferably in private.”
“D-Did something happen?” Makaela asked, noticing his behaviour.
Erik sighed, giving her a weary smile. “A lot has happened, come, we’ll talk as we walk.”
He showed the way through the camp, and she followed, the both of them sharing of what had happened as they spoke. Erik immediately told her that everyone was healthy and fine, giving Makaela much needed relief before she began to explain how the assault on the convoy went.
She told him of their losses, and their results. How many people they lost, and an estimate of the resources they gained.
But Erik didn’t seem very interested in any of that, staying silent as she reported the victory.
Only speaking up when they reached a large doorway that hadn’t been there before, the two massive wooden gates opening for them as they walked through, and closing behind them.
“Makaela, we defeated Delirio and…rescued the drake, Ivyieth.” Erik then said once the doors closed shut.
“Really? That’s a relief…but, you don’t seem very enthusiastic about that…” She pointed out, leaning forward as they walked side-by-side through the short corridor to get a glance at his current gloomy expression.
“Well…yeah, Delirio managed to transfer Ivyieth’s soul into a human vessel past the point of return. We had no choice but to quicken the process to save her, while I dismantled her bindings…but, that unleashed something else.” Erik sighed as he explained, “Devil prince Brazath has entered our world.”
“A-A Devil?!” Makaela exclaimed in surprised elven, “W-What happened after that?” she pressed for more.
“Brazath ran off, thankfully…” Erik said with disdain clear in his tone, “He felt…different from Azruxan…his mana was darker, his scent far more intoxicating…Kyllix said-Ah, right. Kyllix left earlier, he had to return to his realm.”
“The God left?…Not to sound relieved but, I never trusted that man anyway.” Makaela mused with some annoyance.
“Indeed, he’s an odd one. But his information has proved reliable thus far, he even managed to explain to me what Thea’s strange power is about…” Erik said, pausing as they reached one door along a corridor of many. “Anyhow, Kyllix said that Azruxan was a different kind of Devil, unlike Kurzan, Xokith and his son, Brazath…He said that Devils like Azruxan and Azkel, are unmatured like drakes are. Devillings he called them, or Unascended.”
“Unascended…In elven, that would mean those three are on a completely different level of power, when compared to Azruxan.” Makaela said with hesitation.
“It would seem so,” Erik said as he turned to face her, seemingly inspecting her expression for a moment.
“W-What?” Makaela asked in
elven, disturbed by his staring.
“Risera Isiroth, I know you fought and defeated her at the assault, but who is she to you?” Erik asked, speaking in elven as well.
Catching Makaela off-guard with his question, as her eyes widened in surprise. “Hah…So Kayle really is here, isn’t she? Pyra told me that she had an idea of…And Zentha told me that she would know even more now.”
“Which of them was it?” Erik asked, his solemn gaze piercing right through her.
“Zentha, for seven years, she was under that whore’s influence.” Makaela answered with contempt, glancing away, unable to meet his eyes as he stared at her. “D-Does she-”
“Thea knows, she knows the entire story as do I.” Erik answered before she could even ask. “Give her some time, as things are right now…You two shouldn’t speak, not yet.”
“I’m sorry, for keeping it from you…I thought…rather I hoped it would never come up.” Makaela said, “If you need me to…” She turned to face him, smiling coldly as she once did, “I will resign from my post…Pyra can lead in my place just as w-”
“Resign?” Erik repeated in question, seeing through her fake smile which quickly faltered on meeting his cold gaze. “Makaela, this is between you two, it has nothing to do with me. You will not resign, you will not run away from this either. You both must figure your way out of this maze you now find yourselves trapped in. For better or worse, you trust in one another, no?” He said, as his previous cold demeanour changed into a warm smile.
“Y-You heard all that?…” Makaela asked with some embarrassment.
“When I awoke, every word you all spoke through the blood bond, rushed into me like a rain of arrows…” He said with a sigh, “Do you remember what I told you? Months ago, among the forest and outside the dwarven city?”
“Which part? Where you denounced yourself as our Deity?” Makaela asked with an awkward tone.
Erik chuckled as he shook his head, “When I told you to think for yourself, and told Thea to see through the masks you wear. I can tell, I’ve noticed how much closer you two have become.”